As consumer electronics devices become more compact and achieve greater functionality, it has become increasingly difficult to arrange the interior components to realize higher density. This is especially so with wireless communications devices, including handheld devices, personal digital assistants, mobile smartphones, etc., where the devices are increasingly compact, yet include a greater number of components and features than ever before. Many such devices now include keyboards, cameras, trackballs, display screens (ordinary or touchscreen), memory cards, speakers, microphones, I/O jacks, and multiple antennas, for cellular, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth®, GPS, and other radio frequency communications. This has made the configuration of the components challenging and puts circuit board space at a premium.
The shrinking size of mobile communication devices and the inclusion of multiple RF antennas within the devices lead to difficulty with issues of interference and isolation. In order to improve isolation and minimize interference, some mobile communication devices will locate antennas at opposite ends of the device so as to try to maximize the physical distance between the two antennas. This technique is limited by the size of the device and by the fact that the antennas are typically connected to common circuitry or ground planes, which can lead to problems in achieving adequate isolation between the antennas. The need to place antennas in different parts of the device can lead to situations in which RF signals need to be transmitted from one portion of the device to another.
In a two-piece device, such as a slider or flip-phone, a flex cable is often used to send signals between two different pieces of the device. Existing flex cables are typically designed to support transmission of low frequency or digital signals and are too lousy and noisy for use in transmitting RF-level signals.
It would advantageous to provide for a flexible cable capable of transporting RF-level signals.
Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures to denote similar components.